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Retreat Planning Meeting, Part 2

Posted by Debby on August 10, 2010

Depending on the level of participation, the Retreat Planning Meeting provides our women’s leaders with a list of ladies who are willing to help in the various areas. Often, we will make these lists available to women at other times, such as women’s Bible study, so that we can give the opportunity to as many women as possible. While we still may need to recruit more help, if enough do not sign up, it does give us that basic group of servants that will be so crucial to pulling off the retreat.

I like the concept of the Retreat Planning Meeting, because no one can say that they did not have the opportunity to get involved. While we have many ladies that we can count on and call upon to help, this opens the door for any woman in the church to test the waters and get involved in a small way. It is a great way for ladies to get plugged in and feel that they are part of the ministry. So often, we discover women who have gifts that we didn’t know about just because they signed up in an area of interest to them. For instance, someone will sign up to be involved in the skit, and we had no idea that they would be interested in acting! Or someone will sign up to help with decorations, and we discover a new talent in that area!

Three cautions: When we make up these sign-up sheets, leaders are just estimating what kind of help that they are going to need. Some may still have need for more help, while others don’t have enough tasks to spread around to all who signed up. Stay in contact with the women who have signed up. If they are not needed in one area, perhaps they would be interested in helping in another. Secondly, every woman who does sign up must be contacted; if we neglect to contact someone who signed up, feelings could get hurt. Finally, after actual registration for the retreat has begun, is it wise for the leaders to confirm that the ladies on their sign-up list have indeed signed up for the retreat In the month between the time they sign up to help and actual registration, their plans may have changed. You don’t want to be counting on women who then cannot actually be there to help!

Posted in: Retreat and Event Planning, Starting Points in Retreat Planning

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Retreat Planning Meeting, Part I

Posted by Debby on August 8, 2010

About three months prior to the retreat, we schedule a “Retreat Planning Meeting.” Ours will be taking place this Sunday, August 8th, after the morning service. It is at this meeting, which is open to any interested woman in the church, that women who desire to serve in various areas of the retreat (both in preparations before as well as during the retreat) come to find out what opportunities are available. Each of our nine women’s ministry leaders have been assigned certain areas of responsibility for the retreat–from registration prior to the retreat to cleanup at the end of the retreat. Prior to the “retreat planning meeting,” each leader estimates how many women she will need to help her carry out her retreat duties. For instance, the leader in charge of registration will need a certain number of women who can help with registration after each Sunday service during the month that registration is open. She will determine exactly what her needs are, and that information will be given to the leader in charge of the retreat planning meeting. In the same way, the leader in charge of book reviews will need those who are willing to read a book and do a short review at the retreat, as well as women who are willing to work at the book table during the retreat. The leader in charge of greeting will ask for volunteers for the various times during the retreat that she wants to have greeters available.

Sign-up sheet are made, based on that information. These sign-up sheets are put out at the retreat planning meeting. Our hope is that many women will attend the meeting and desire to serve. At the meeting, each leader will explain what will be required of those who sign up in her area of responsibility. Women are given the opportunity to ask questions and sign up (name and contact information) in the area(s) where they feel led to serve. The leaders then contact those who have signed up and more specific direction is given. For instance, a woman who signs up to help with registration is contacted to find out when she is available to serve, and then she is put on the schedule.

See more at Retreat Planning Meeting, Part 2.

Posted in: Retreat and Event Planning, Starting Points in Retreat Planning

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Status Report – Information Sheets and Registration

Posted by Debby on August 6, 2010

Meet Laura. She is part of our women’s leadership team, and she is in charge of organization of the retreat. As we begin to plan for the retreat, she develops the Organizational Chart, which gives us a guideline and division of responsibilities for further planning of the retreat, and the Retreat Planning Calendar, which keeps us on schedule. She also shares responsibility for the preparation of the information sheet. Here is her status report:

“The ball is starting to ROLL! Cheryl, Kathy and I are working on the information sheets which include the theme, retreat dates, guest speaker info, cost, location, deadlines, a registration card sample, etc. We also prepared the letter to the pastor’s wives from other churches so that they will know how to handle their own registration. We usually take last year’s information sheets and just update them with the new year’s information. One difference this year is that we will not be using Paypal as a payment option. We will also not be catering lunch through the hotel, as it is very expensive. We will have a longer lunch break during the day on Saturday, giving the ladies time to go to the wide range of eateries that surround the hotel. We have also included a special note called “something new” that explains our reasoning for this change. In order to keep costs down the ladies are encouraged to bring something along for lunch or some money so that they can buy anything from snacks to fast food to restaurant style meals. In our case, the hotel has some on-property options and refrigerators in each room, so the ladies won’t have to leave the hotel to get lunch if they don’t have a vehicle for the weekend.”

Posted in: Journey to Retreat 2010, Registration, Retreat and Event Planning

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Journey to Retreat 2010-July update

Posted by Debby on August 4, 2010

In mid-July, our women’s ministry leaders met for our monthly meeting. We are still four months away from the retreat, so while the retreat was on the agenda, it was not the main order of business. However, according to our Retreat Planning Calendar, some retreat deadlines are approaching. Retreat Information Sheets were due to be finished on August 1. Retreat information is then due to be sent to sister churches who may want to join us at this retreat. And our Retreat Planning Meeting is scheduled on August 8. Registration for the retreat will begin in September. We reviewed these upcoming action items, and leaders with responsibilities in those areas gave status reports. Next month, there will be more discussion about the nuts and bolts of the retreat.

Posted in: Journey to Retreat 2010

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The Missing Star

Posted by Debby on August 2, 2010

One year at our retreat, the women returned after their Saturday afternoon free time for a late afternoon session. This session was to be kicked off by the third act of the retreat skit. As we began to set up–oh no! Our lead performer and main character was nowhere to be found. We had people running all over the hotel searching for her, since we didn’t know her room number or have her cell phone number on hand. Finally, unable to delay the session any further, we had to rearrange our schedule to fit the skit in later. Of course, we soon found our star, and the show went on, but we learned something. Now, we make sure that we have a list of each person involved in the skit and their cell phone number with us at the retreat AND, upon their check-in, we make sure that we have their room number. It is easy for someone to get confused on the time, fall asleep during free time or be otherwise distracted. But shame on us if we don’t know how to reach them.

Posted in: Lessons Learned

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